Press Releases
02/21/2025
Attorney General Tong Calls on Court to Protect Gender Affirming Care
Joins Coalition of 18 Attorneys General in Filing Amicus Brief to Support Plaintiffs in PFLAG v. Trump
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland supporting Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality, and individual patients and their families, in their lawsuit against the Trump Administration.
On February 4, 2025, PFLAG challenged President Trump’s Executive Orders 14168 and 14187 targeting transgender individuals by stating that gender identity was a “false” idea and by attempting to strip federal funding from institutions that provide life-saving gender affirming care for young people under the age of 19. The amici states argue that this action blatantly and unlawfully discriminates against transgender youth based on their identity.
“In Connecticut, we don’t inject politics into private family medical decisions, and we don’t let adults bully our kids. It’s that simple,” said Attorney General Tong. “I stand with the parents, kids and doctors fighting for access to life-saving healthcare in the face of Trump’s blatantly discriminatory order.”
The states submitting today’s amicus brief have enacted their own laws, policies and protections for transgender residents, including transgender youth under the age of 19. These laws include legal protections for gender-affirming healthcare services; policies allowing residents to request a change in the sex designation on their birth certificate; prohibitions on discrimination in schools, employment, real estate and other services; and protections for people who lawfully provide or help others access gender-affirming care.
The amici states bring to the court’s attention that there is considerable medical evidence showing that gender-affirming care improves the health outcomes for individuals with gender dysphoria, a medical condition characterized by significant distress that occurs when an individual’s gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth. Denying this care can have tragic consequences on patients’ physical and mental well-being. A recent study conducted by the University of Washington found that in individuals ages 13-20, receiving gender-affirming care was associated with 60% lower odds of moderate to severe depression and 73% lower odds of having suicidal thoughts over a 12-month period.
The amici states also bring to the court’s attention that the Administration’s Executive Orders have sown chaos and confusion among gender-affirming care providers and caused anxiety and fear among transgender youth and their families. The Trevor Project, which provides confidential counseling to LGBTQ+ youth, reported a 700% increase in access to its crisis services since the Presidential election and a 46% increase in volume following the inauguration. In the immediate aftermath of the Executive Orders, facilities across the country halted gender-affirming care for young people, citing fears of losing federal funding for healthcare unrelated to gender-affirming care.
While such care remains available in Connecticut, this Executive Order has undeniably and unacceptably scared providers and patients here and across the country. Shortly after PFLAG filed their lawsuit, AG Tong joined 18 other attorneys general in issuing a statement reaffirming their commitment to protecting access to gender-affirming care, reminding providers that federal courts have stopped the Administration from withholding federal funding from institutions, including ones that provide gender-affirming care, and making clear that no federal law prohibits or criminalizes gender affirming care.
For these reasons, the amici states urge the Court to grant PFLAG’s motion for a preliminary injunction.
Joining AG Tong in submitting this brief, which is co-led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, are the attorneys general from Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
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